The City of Cambridge’s commitment to going green will be extending into arenas this fall with the recent purchase of two electric ice resurfacers.
The decision to transition to electric resurfacers is almost a decade in the making after a 2014 council discussion that focused on the benefits of improving air quality in arenas. It’s also helping the city meet its larger environmental impact goals.
“The city has a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent by 2030 and 80 per cent by 2050,” Michael Hausser, director of operations for infrastructure services for the city of Cambridge.
“This initiative along with other initiatives lead us toward meeting our commitments to achieve the reduction targets.”
The city has three units in total, with one each heading to Galt Arena Gardens and Hespeler Memorial Arena this year. The third is anticipated to be at Karl Homuth Arena next year.
Hausser says the electric resurfacers compared to propane usually carry a 15 per cent premium in cost, but that amount is typically offset by the operational savings of the more environmentally-friendly units. And while the city wouldn't comment on the exact details of the purchases, fossil-fuelled units can often run in the $100,000 range.
When it comes to operating them, many maintenance costs are reduced or eliminated.
Oil services typically associate with internal combustion engines (ICE) and waste reductions such as oil disposal, including other maintenance items typically replaced during servicing such as fuel, oil and air filtration parts are no longer required.
Arena exhaust ventilation requirements will also see a decline over time due to better air quality.
“There are a number of benefits,” Hausser said
“Primarily, they will contribute to the reduction of fossil fuel emissions. This will have a direct benefit to air quality both outside and inside the arena facilities.”
Arenas are just the latest area in which the city is beginning to transition to more environmentally sustainable options.
It’s already introduced nine battery electric vehicles and is in the procurement stage for four more.
Hausser says alternative energy is being reviewed and evaluated for the replacement of each city asset to ensure electric meets operational needs.
For instance, smaller equipment such as chainsaws, turf equipment and string trimmers are replacing fossil fuelled assets when operationally feasible to help reduce noise and emissions, he says.
In anticipation of a growing collection of electric vehicles, including ice resurfacers, the city is preparing for the new age.
“We currently have non-public charging stations for our electric vehicles and we will continue to install additional charging stations as the electric fleet grows,” Hausser said.
“They can be charged whenever they are not in use, which makes them a perfect choice for daily flooding routines between ice activities and because of the nature of arena operations, they are not continuously in use.”
